Wacky Contingencies Keep On Coming

As the real estate market takes a turn for the better, the number of unusual requirements from buyers and sellers seems to go up in equal measure. It used to be the list of items that convey would include the basics—such as appliances and light fixtures—but now agents report in a new Wall Street Journal article that yard art, shrubbery, and—in one unusual case—three llamas have all been up for negotiation. In some situations the agents have to agree to take responsibility for the items just to make the sale go through (one agent volunteered to adopt a small flock of chickens to get the buyer and seller to agree).

The best example, however, has to be from “House Lawyer” Harvey S. Jacobs, a Rockville-based real estate lawyer who also occasionally writes for the Washington Post. He told the Journal that the most unusual request he had ever had to negotiate was a seller who insisted on putting in the contract that the buyers keep furniture in specific locations because that is where the ghosts lived. No, we are not kidding.

We would love to hear what unusual contingencies you have seen over your career. Please leave a note in the comments or send one in to us by clicking here.